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“Get up, we need to get you out of here,” Raela whispers into my ear.
My eyes go to across the room to where Volethos has Kurrahstka up against the wall, his arm shoved up under his chin, pinning him.
I scramble to get my legs under me, and then we’re weaving through the gathered crowd and out of the room.
“Wait!” I hiss when we get into the hall. “What is he going to do to Volethos?”
Raela shoots me a tight-lipped look over her shoulder. Her expression tells me nothing good will happen.
“We can’t leave him,” I insist as I dig in my heels and force her to stop.
Rolling her eyes, she mutters something under her breath, and I’m pretty sure I catch the wordstubborn.Or maybe it’sstupid.Either way, she’s probably right, but I won’t budge on this.
Just then, the door we came out of slides open. My head swivels, and I catch sight of two of the orc aliens with Volethos between them, just as Raela pulls me around the corner and out of sight.
I peek out and watch as Kurrahstka follows the green aliens down the hallway. They don’t go far, only to the end of the hall, where they pull him up short.
“The thing about these pods,” I hear Kurrahstka say as he types something into a keypad. “Is that I only installed them because it was the only way to pass Federation inspection.”
Oh, shit!
I turn panicked eyes to Raela, who grabs me and starts pulling me down the hall and away from them.
“Stop!” I whisper-shout. “What are you doing; we have to stop them!”
“Shut up!” she hisses back at me. Her grip on my wrist tightens painfully as she keeps pulling me, despite my struggles.
Bitch is stronger than she looks.
It takes me a moment to realize where we’re going, and then she’s shoving my palm against a pad, and the door to Volethos and my room slides open.
“Where is the comm I gave Volethos?” she asks when we’re secured inside the room.
“What? Why?” I demand. “You heard what he said; we have to save Volethos!”
“What do you think I’m trying to do?” Raela shouts back, and for the first time, I notice her eyes are wide. Frightened. “We need to contact your friends so they can find the pod once it’s ejected.”
“Oh.”Ohhh!
I dive for the bed, tearing apart the bedding. When that doesn’t turn up the comm, I drop to my knees to look under it. Meanwhile, Raela goes to the table, searching any surface it might have been set on.
When I can’t find it, I pick up one of the blankets and throw it onto the ground in frustration. That’s when the comm bounces free.
“Got it!” I shout, lunging for it. I turn it over in my hands, pressing my finger into the smooth face, but nothing happens.
Raela plucks it from my hand, and, with a swipe of her thumb, it comes to life. “Has Volethos commed anyone besides your friends?”
“I don’t think so.”
A couple more taps and Zell’s hologram is flickering in front of us. His reptilian eyes narrow when he sees us. “What’s happened?”
When I step in close, everything that’s happened spews out of me. “You have to find his pod, please!”
Zell nods, and I can see he’s doing something with his hands. He must be sitting at the cruiser’s controls, thank God!
“Did Volethos tell you that I’m Federation?” Raela asks.
Without taking his eyes from whatever he’s doing, Zell nods. “He did. He said we should trust you.” He looks up, and his expression exposes his thoughts. “But I’m not the type to trust easily.”
